The US Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Bam, Iran along with accompanying technical specialists. The team is providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the victims of the Bam earthquake.
The DART includes seven USAID experts and is accompanied by eleven members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team and 66 medical experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The DART, Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, and FEMA arrived in Iran early Monday morning, December 29.
As part of these assistance efforts, USAID has mobilized pre-positioned supplies, including blankets and plastic sheeting for temporary shelters, from Dubai to expedite the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Iran.
USAID has worked closely with representatives of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), both located on the scene in Iran to determine the most immediate needs of the Bam earthquake victims.
In addition to its worldwide disaster and humanitarian relief efforts, USAID also funds international emergency disaster training for urban search and rescue teams for swift deployment to emergency areas.
Last year, USAID provided two million dollars in grants to the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team to equip, train and deploy teams to international disasters. USAID-funded urban search and rescue teams have previously assisted in emergencies in Kenya, Turkey, Columbia and Taiwan. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
